What Books to Use with Children

Parents may think that all books are a great choice for children.  Although stories may be entertaining and catchy for children, this does not always mean that a book is an excellent choice.  Parents should pay attention to the font and style of the books they read to their children.

Many fonts in books are what Itchy’s Alphabet calls “confusing fonts”.  Have you ever seen very curly font used in books?  Although they make the pages prettier or more entertaining, they are not always in the correct letter form.  This can be confusing for children trying to learn their letters, letter sounds, writing, and reading.  Books should be carefully chosen based on font in the beginning because we don’t want to confuse a child with the letter forms.

Another thing to consider when choosing a book is how the words are placed on the page.  In the English language we read from left to right, top to bottom.  Some books may change this format for creativity and illustration purposes.  Although this also may be fun and creative, it is not teaching correct reading form.

When teaching children to read we want to leave as many confusing aspects out as possible.  When your children are beginning to read and write, try to demonstrate the written language correctly as often as possible.